Affiliation:
1. College of Education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Abstract
Educational theory has developed in a fragmented fashion, with perspectives on the structure and organization of schooling developing in isolation from theories of cognition and learning. In this article, the author argues that for educational theory to have coherent policy implications, these two strands of thought must be integrated. Following an analysis of three major views of the role of schooling-the functionalist, Marxist, and cultural Marxist theories-the author reviews the"constructivist" framework and suggests how this could be used for such integration when augmented by examination of the contextual grounding of learning. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for theory, research, and educational policy.